Blood Royal

by Mollie Hardwick

Recounts the story of the Boleyn family, detailing the experiences of Mary and Anne and their relationships with Henry VIII, their brilliant but ill-fated brother George, and their children, one of whom would rule England.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Tudor Period, Historical

320 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1988

About the author

Mollie Greenhalgh Hardwick was an English author who was best known for writing books that accompanied the TV series Upstairs, Downstairs.

As well as writing many Upstairs, Downstairs, Thomas & Sarah and The Duchess of Duke Street novels, she was also the creator of the Doran Fairweather novels and wrote three Juliet Bravo books. Hardwick also wrote many books and plays based around the Sherlock Holmes novels. She married fellow author Michael Hardwick in 1961.

Series:
* Upstairs Downstairs
* The Duchess of Duke Street
* Thomas and Sarah
* Juliet Bravo
* Doran Fairweather

Reviews

[Caity · Rating 1 out of 5]

Well, I almost gave this book 2 stars (it was ok) since I made it through the whole book, but the only reason I read through the whole thing was to get the history. If you're looking for a book on the Boleyns that's more history than fiction, you may like this one. I found the historical parts interesting and it was well written, but the Boleyn line is one of my least favorites because of Mary, and I didn't realize she was in this one SO much - all the parts about her were accounts of one affair after the other - nothing got detailed or anything like that, just names and places and such, building up her reputation until her affair with King Henry VIII- but it got to the point it was just plain boring. So repetitive! I mean, really, can't you say in one paragraph how she didn't have a good character and even list a few names, but then just move on? Anyways, I got tired of it. (and, I personally just don't like books with that type of content throughout anyway.)
The rest of the story was just depressing. :P Everyone that was anyone died, people were going insane right and left, and the story was 2 chapters too long. Seriously- the last 2 chapters add nothing to the story.
SO anyway! I learned some things about the time and places I hadn't known before, which is always nice, but overall, I wouldn't re-read it, I threw my copy away, and I won't be recommending it.
My favorite book about Anne Boleyn is and always will be To Die For: A Novel of Anne Boleyn.
End of line. ;)

[Selkie · Rating 2 out of 5]

The most interesting thing about this book is that it is primarily about the Boleyns, and does not just focus on Henry VIII and his affair with Anne Boleyn, or his other wives.
It starts with the marriage of Henry VII to Elizabeth, and perhaps even tells more about Mary than it dos Anne (because she lived longer?), but does not really say much about Queen Elizabeth at all. In fact, the closer the generations got to our own time, the less was said about them, until the story just seemed to drop at the end.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

The history of the Boleyn family, from the marriage of Elizabeth and Thomas to the death of Mary Boleyn.